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Latter Day Saints Essay

2300 Words10 Pages

Courtney Whetzel
REL 230
Professor DiNello June 25, 2015
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: What Do They Believe? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as Mormonism, was founded by Joseph Smith in Upstate New York in 1820, making the church just a little more than 170 years old (Williams, 4). Mormons consider themselves as Christians, because they follow many of the same beliefs and practices, but they do not agree with all formalities of Christianity. In the 1830s and 1840s Mormonism began to be distinguished as a separate belief from the traditional Protestant beliefs of the time. The Church of the Latter Day Saints has over fourteen million followers worldwide (History of the Church). Mormonism today …show more content…

They believe that the afterlife takes place in a series of levels or hierarchies that a person can fall into, based on the life type of life that they live. Once a person dies, they will be in the best shape that they have ever been in, with peak physical and mental conditions (Williams, 48). After a person has died, they will remain in a state of misery or a state of delight based on the actions that they made while they were living and whether or not they accepted Christ into their lives. Williams states that there are four “eternal retirement communities” that a person can be placed into in the afterlife (54): Level one is the best level “Celestial Glory”; this is the place where God lives. In order for a person to live here, they have to have a strong connection with God and the teachings of Christ. The next two levels are where the less than perfect people will reside. They had faith in Christ, but not enough to be in the top level. The lowest level is the “outer darkness”; there is no rest for the wicked in this level. These are the people who didn’t obey Christ’s …show more content…

The beliefs of Mormons closely relate to those of Christianity and Judaism. One of the main differences between Mormonism and Christianity is the fact that there is more than on sacred book. The way that God is viewed as being a human figure with a family here on earth is also a major distinction between the Mormons and other religions.
Word Count: 2,054

Works Cited:
"History of the Church - MormonTemples.org." MormonTemples.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Web. 24 June 2015. .
"Jesus Christ. Savior & Redeemer-Christian Beliefs | Mormon.org." Jesus Christ. Savior & Redeemer-Christian Beliefs | Mormon.org. 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 26 June 2015. .
"Mormon.org | What Is the Mormon Church and Religion?" Mormon.org | What Is the Mormon Church and Religion? Intellectual Reserve, 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 25 June 2015. .
"Mormonism." Mormonism. ReligonFacts. Web. 28 June 2015. .
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 28 June 2015. .
"The Creation." Mormon Beliefs. Web. 25 June 2015. .
Ankerberg, John and Weldon, John. Fast Facts on Mormonism. Eugene, Or. Harvest House Publishers. 2003.

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